


Koko 'olua

by mohinikapuahi



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-25
Updated: 2012-02-25
Packaged: 2017-10-31 17:31:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/346639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mohinikapuahi/pseuds/mohinikapuahi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Much to his dismay, Steve will do anything for his Danny.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Koko 'olua

**Author's Note:**

  * For [embroiderama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/embroiderama/gifts).



Why was it always the fucking warehouses?

It was supposed to have been an easy day. More importantly, it was supposed to have been a guns- and explosion-free day. He’d promised Danny. All they had planned to do was to question a couple of witnesses and check out that deserted warehouse that kept coming up in the investigation.

Unfortunately, the questioning was a bust. Three witnesses had given three different descriptions of what could be the perp, or most probably someone they had seen on the news, none of which had even remotely useful, so their time had been wasted and their investigation was no further ahead. They had both been hopeful that the warehouse would be more successful.

As they pulled the Camaro to a stop outside the chain wire fence that encircled the target building, Danny gestured to two vehicles parked against the side of the ramshackle building. Both were covered with greasy tarpaulins and discarded boxes. To the casual observer the building would appear deserted, but to someone looking for discrepancies the cars were a clear indication that something clandestine was going on.

Nodding in acknowledgement, Steve pulled Danny’s tac vest from behind his seat and pushed it into Danny’s lap. After reaching for his own, he dialled Chin’s number, talking with him and ensuring that both he and Kono were on their way. He quickly donned his vest before he opened the car door and climbed out.

Moving around to the passenger side of the car, he slipped his gun from the holster on his belt and almost unconsciously pushed the slide forward ensuring that he already had a round chambered. He looked up to see Danny going through the same motions.

"Ready?" he asked quietly.

Danny's eyes rolled. "Of course. Because as usual we aren’t waiting until our backup gets here and can actually back us the fuck up."

"You are the backup." Steve grinned at Danny before he slipped through a gap in the fence.

"One of these days you are going to get us both killed," Danny muttered, as he drew his gun and then followed Steve through the fence.

As buildings go, the warehouse wasn’t much to look at. The windows were mostly broken and dirty, with shards of glass hanging from the dried putty in the ancient wooden frames. Weeds grew against the walls and in the cracks in the asphalt. The door that Steve and Danny approached was hanging off its rusted hinges, leaving a large gap between the door and the jamb. Steve peered through the gap, but couldn't see much at all - there were crates of various sizes stacked in untidy rows, about five feet high, obscuring the view. Scanning upwards was no better: metal flyways suspended from the roof didn’t reveal anything of interest either. The portion of the concrete floor they could see was scattered with packing debris. They couldn't see or hear anyone inside, but that meant little, since there could easily be a dozen or more men hidden in the building.

Steve gestured to Danny, who reached across and closed his hand around the doorknob. A quick flurry of hand movements told him where he needed to go once they were inside, and then Danny pulled the door open. Thankfully, the hinges weren't quite as loud as he had expected. Steve took a quick glance into the void and then slipped in the door, running the few steps needed to find cover behind a stack of crates. Having failed to trigger a response from the warehouse occupants - if there were any - he waved Danny through the door and scanned the room carefully as his partner moved past him to take a position behind a stack of crates further into the room.

Another 360-degree check showed no observable reaction to their entry. Steve wished he could see further, but the stacks of crates were staggered in such a way that they completely hid the centre of the warehouse, and he wondered if it was deliberate or accidental - not that it mattered much. Glancing upwards, he noted that the hanging walkways shrouded the roof space with shadows. They creaked a little in the convection currents, but there was no one up there that he could see. Deeming it relatively safe, Danny stood up, letting his gun point down to the ground. Steve followed suit, and then a grin curved his lips as he listened heard the rumble of Chin’s motorcycle approaching.

Then all hell broke loose.

Steve heard the crack of an explosion and dropped down into a crouch. The crates above him teetered as they absorbed the blast and then started to topple. He scrambled out of the way and turned to check for Danny - just in time to see his partner knocked to the ground and pinned beneath several of the heavy boxes.

"Danny!" Steve yelled, watching in horror as one of the boxes broke open, spilling machinery parts over Danny's body and on the concrete floor. He started to run the few yards to check on him, but realised, belatedly, that he'd lost his cover when the crates had fallen. A burst of automatic gun fire ricocheted off the cement floor just in front of his feet. Raising his weapon, he scanned the upper level, releasing several rounds in the general direction the shots had come from before ducking back behind a crate. He crawled to the other side to check their angle of view. Sure enough, as soon as he took a step forward a second burst of fire sprayed the ground at his feet. It only took him a second to pinpoint the location of the shooters - there were three of them, scattered across the walkways above them, all armed with what appeared to be MP5s.

Great. That was all he needed - paranoid criminals protecting their stash with itchy trigger fingers armed with submachine guns. Never before had Steve wished so fervently for something more than his P226. Still, he consoled himself, as least they didn't have rifles.

Back under cover, he looked over at his partner. At least now Steve could see that Danny was alive - his chest was moving and his hand was twitching - but he was unarmed and had no cover to speak of, just one intact crate between him and the shooters ... and if Steve had realised that, how long before the idiots with the guns did too? Could he afford to wait until Chin and Kono arrived?

Another burst hit Danny's crate and the concrete just beyond his foot. Making his decision, Steve fired a volley of shots in the general direction of the shooters and then broke cover and ran to his partner. Grabbing Danny by his tac vest, he pulled him from under the debris, and shielded him with his own body, hoping that none of the shooters would get a good angle. He could hear the sounds of Chin and Kono calling their names, announcing their presence and starting to sweep the building, but his sole focus was getting Danny out of danger. He had to get Danny back across the floor to where some crates remained stacked. It was their only chance.

The sounds of automatic gunfire over to his left gave him a chance. He ran, bent almost double, trying to keep his head out of the line of fire and using his body to protect his partner. A sharp pain skittered over his hip, glancing across his skin like a hot knife, causing a sharp expletive to spill from his lips. He kept running. He was almost there, but the shots were getting closer, tracking across the concrete towards him. He moved as fast as he could, but the shooter was faster. The impact hit him like a mule’s kick, and the combined momentum of body and bullets twisted him around. He landed heavily on the concrete, with Danny on top of him, and had only a split second to note the pain that bloomed in his head before he blacked out.

~*~*~*~*~

Steve knew that smell. Sharp disinfectant; muted lighting; the distant mumble of voices; the staccato beep of machines: hospital. Again. His brows furrowed as he tried to remember what he had done to get here this time. He was lying on his side, his face pressed against a firm pillow, and that was unusual. He tried to move, but pain radiated through his back and leg. Had he been shot again? Scattered memories started pulling themselves together: a warehouse; crates; Danny injured. His eyes flew open at that last thought. Danny was injured. He had to find Danny.

"About time you woke up, sleeping beauty." Danny’s voice was soft and his eyes crinkled as he straightened from where he had been sitting, slouched in a chair at the bedside.

"You’re okay?" Steve’s voice came out hoarse and croaky. He couldn’t quite focus his thoughts, either - he guessed it was probably due to his injuries, or maybe they'd given him something to keep him quiet. At the moment he didn’t have the mental energy to work it out, or to care.

"What the hell were you thinking?" asked Danny, as he stood up and reached for a cup filled with ice chips from the table at the bottom of the bed.

"You." Steve reached out a hand to Danny. "You were in danger."

"So you thought you’d make yourself a target?" Danny tilted the small cup against Steve’s lips, placing a restraining hand on his shoulder as he tried to roll onto his back. "No you don’t SuperSEAL, you need to stay on your side."

"Why?" Steve frowned.

"Because you took at least three rounds in your tac vest, so your back has more colour than that ridiculous ink on your shoulders, and you managed to get yourself shot in the ass."

"In the ass? Really?" he tilted his head to look up into Danny’s face.

“Well not really shot in the ass. A bullet creased you from your left buttock across your hip. Was deep enough to need stitches but you’ll live.” Danny grinned as he reached out to press the ice chips against his lips again. “But technically it was an ass shot.”

Shot in the ass. He groaned. "You’re never going to let me live it down are you?"

"Maybe sometime around Christmas 2024," Danny grinned, and placed the small paper cup back on the table.

“Can you find me my clothes?” He pushed the sheet that covered him down to his waist. “I’m going home.”

“No you’re not. If you sit down you’ll tear your stitches, so no.” Danny pulled the sheet back to his chest.

“If all I got was shot in the ass, there’s no need for me to be here.” Steve rolled onto his back, wincing tightly as he struggled not to whimper in pain.

“I think that proves my point.” Danny stated.

Kono and Chin entered the room.

"Hey Boss!" Kono smiled, "How are you feeling?" She reached out to rub his leg sympathetically.

"I'm good, I'm ready to go home. Can you two find my clothes?"

"Boss, they threw your clothes away." Chin responded, "Besides, you lost a lot of blood."

"Who knew butt wounds bleed almost as well as head wounds?" Danny smirked.

‘Is anyone going to listen to me? I don’t need to be here. I want to go home.”

“I’m afraid, Commander McGarrett, that you need to be here until at least the morning. At which time, if your wound is acceptable and you show no signs of infection, then I will consider letting you return to your home to complete your convalescence there.” It was Dr Piikoi, standing just inside the room door.

Steve shook his head. “I don’t need to be here. It’s just a flesh wound. I can rest at home.”

“It was a flesh wound that needed stitching. You have a lot of deep bruising in the chest and you are suffering a slight concussion, so yes, you will be remaining here. Any further discussion on the matter will only increase the length of time you will be here.” He looked up at Steve’s visitors. “And now that he’s awake and you have verified for yourselves that he’s going to survive, you will all be going now. It’s past visiting hours and your Commander needs his rest.”

“I’m fine here,” Danny nodded, stepping closer to the bed.

“Detective Williams, I am fully aware of your team's penchant for taking over when one of you is admitted. That won’t be happening while I am the Commander’s physician. If this were a paediatric ward I might consider your request. However, since we’re all adults, there is no need for constant companionship, especially since his wound, as he keeps reminding us is just a flesh wound.” The doctor smiled pleasantly, but there was no doubt he meant his words. “Now I must ask you all to leave, and I will remind you that visiting hours don’t commence until 11am, so please don’t arrive earlier.”

Danny, Chin and Kono looked at each other and then at Steve. Kono and Chin touched him gently on his legs and said their goodbyes before leaving the room. Danny clasped Steve’s hand tightly and smiled grimly.  
“I’m just a phone call away; babe,” he said, softly, “and I’ll be back in the morning with clothes. We’ll spring you.”

Dr Piikoi shook his head. “Not before visiting hours you won’t, and release is only with my approval. You can take his cell phone with you, too, they’re not allowed.”

“I’ll be fine, Danny,” Steve sighed. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Danny reached out to rub Steve’s hand gently. “I’ll see you in the morning, babe.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Good Morning, Steve.” Danny plastered a wide smile on his face as he walked into the room at precisely eleven o'clock.

Steve lay on the bed, his arms folded around a pillow, bare to the curve of his buttocks, a thin sheet protecting as much of his modesty as possible. Stark white dressings ran in a strip from his right buttock to just above his hip.

“Where the hell have you been?” he hissed, clearly pissed off at his enforced captivity.

“Cooling my heels in the waiting room. Your warden wouldn’t let me in until now.”

“That man has far too much affection for rules.”

“Well, given the right situation, Steven, rules do have their place. But given your current situation I’d say rule relaxation could be in order.”

Danny’s eyes clouded as he studied his partner. Placing a small overnight bag on the bed, he let one hand trail a gentle path along the dressing, then let his fingertips trace the bruising up his back. The bruising was worse today, great swathes of red and purple extending over most of his left side.

“What’s wrong, Danny?” Steve frowned, turning his head on the pillow to look at him.

“Don’t ever do that again.” Danny spoke quietly, his fingertips barely touching Steve’s skin.

“Do what?” Steve asked, knowing full well what Danny was talking about, but also knowing that he wouldn’t stop his fussing until he’d purged himself of the guilt he was feeling.

“Don’t play stupid, Steven. You know exactly what I mean. You broke cover and got yourself shot. You put yourself in danger to rescue me. You could have been killed, back there, you know that. I do not want your dead body on my conscience. Do you hear me?”

Steve closed his eyes, letting Danny’s words roll over him, making him feel whole for the first time that day.

“Steven?” Danny’s tight voice broke into his thoughts.

“Fine.” He sighed, giving Danny the answer he wanted. “I won’t do it again.”

Danny snorted. “Well, thank you for your sincerity.”

“Well what do you want me to say, Danny?”

“I want you to mean it when you say it, Steven. I want you to actually think what you being hurt killed will do to the people who love you. About what it would do to the team. I want you to think about how much it would hurt my Monkey to lose her Uncle Steve. I want you to think about what it would do to me.”

“I did.” Steve answered, flatly, dragging his eyes away from Danny, trying to quash the thoughts that were flashing through his head.

“Bullshit. If you'd thought about it at all we wouldn’t be having this conversation and you’d be swimming or climbing mountains or whatever it is you do for kicks.”

“I did,” Steve repeated. “I was thinking that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I had to go to Gracie and tell her that I let her Danno die. I was thinking that the only experience that could possibly be worse than seeing you die, would be seeing the look in her eyes when she knows that I didn’t keep her Danno safe. I was thinking how I couldn’t keep doing this.” He waved a hand wildly “If you weren’t here doing it with me.”

“So you just threw yourself in front of automatic gunfire?” Danny’s voice sounded choked.

“No, I took a calculated risk and pulled you back to cover.”

“Calculated?” Danny’s laugh was tight and strained. “You could have died.”

“But I didn’t and it’s barely more than a flesh wound.”

“A flesh wound?” Danny marvelled, he trailed his fingers along the dressing, just hard enough to be painful, “If you hadn’t been bent over that far, this could have been pinging around your organs like a pinball, instead of just slicing your hip.” He pressed his fingers against the blooming bruises on Steve’s back. “If you had been standing two inches taller, you would have left that warehouse in two pieces. That was automatic weapon fire, Steven. It could have cut you in two. You could be dead right now.”

“Not likely, with automatic weapons there's more space than bullets. But I’m not.” Steve repeated, reaching back out for Danny’s hand, “and you’re not either.’

“But you could have been,” Danny sighed as he let his fingers slide into Steve’s gripping his hand tightly before releasing it, moving to the head of the bed and traced the pale blue bruise on Steve’s forehead. He ran his fingers through Steve’s hair, almost laughing at the way Steve leaned into the gently scratching touch.

“On top of all that you could have scrambled your brain, babe,” he added.

"Was already scrambled," Steve growled. "Or so you keep telling me."

'There's a big difference between insane and damaged, and you know it."

They were silent for a moment, just looking at each other.

“Can we go home now?” Steve asked.

“Piikoi said you’re free to go. Just waiting on transport. Your script is waiting for you at the nursing station, and you have to sign the usual forms, but then we can go.”

"OK." Steve rolled onto his back and then cautiously sat up. He winced as the pressure on his wound increased, and slowly manoeuvred himself over the side of the bed.

"Are you ok doing that?" asked Danny, instantly concerned. "Don't bend so much, you'll break your stitches."

"No, it's fine. They're pulling but I should be OK as long as I'm careful."

Danny handed him the clothes he had brought in with him - track pants and a T-shirt - and helped him to dress.

“You know Kono has given me a new title.” Danny offered as he collected up Steve's things and put them into the bag.

“What’s that?”

“SCC.” Danny groaned. “Can you believe that?”

“I might if I knew what it meant.”

“She said since it’s my fault you got shot in the ass, it’s my job to ensure your comfort.”  
“It’s not your fault.”

“Yes, yes, I know you’re the super bad SEAL and it’s all your own decision, the fact still remains that you got shot in the ass on my behalf.”

“Have you seen what an MP5 can do to a person’s skull, Daniel? Because I have, and there was no fucking way that it was going to happen to you. No way, no how. You got that? Because no matter what ridiculous promise you make me make today, if that ever happens again, I’ll do exactly the same thing I did yesterday.”

“Are you done?” Danny put his hand over the fist that Steve hadn’t been aware he was clenching.

“You just don’t get it, Danny.”

“I really think I do.” Danny murmured as he laced his fingers through Steve’s and squeezed his hand tightly, before releasing it. “C’mon, get your feet into these sandals so we can go home and I can chase you around with a cushion.”

“What?”

“SCC. Steve’s cushion carrier. Kono is going to kick my ass if I don’t pay you significant enough attention until your recovery.”

“That’s nuts. I’m an adult, Danny, I don't need someone following me around with cushions."

“Maybe not, but it’s still going to happen. C’mon, big guy, just accept that I'm going to be looking after you.” Danny rubbed his shoulder affectionately.

There was a clattering outside the room, and then a couple of EMTs wheeled in a stretcher.

"McGarrett?" one of them asked.

"That's us," nodded Danny.

Steve looked stunned. "You ordered an ambulance?"

"Sure. Dr Piikoi said you weren't going to be able to sit in a car for at least a week, so this was the only way to get you home."

"But that's - No. I'm not going home on a stretcher."

Danny crossed his arms. "No? Then you'll be in hospital for the rest of the week."

"I'll take a cab."

"No cabbie would pick you up looking like that. Your stitches would burst."

"I'll call Chin. He can bring the bike."

"The bike? Are you stupid? You have bruises so deep on your chest you can barely raise your arms and you can't bend your hip more than ten degrees. Just how do you expect to stay on a bike?"

Steve glared at him. Danny glared back. The EMTs looked amused.

After a full twenty seconds, Danny sighed. "Just get on the damned stretcher, will you? Please?"

Steve took few more seconds to make sure that Danny understood how great a concession he was making, and then walked very slowly over to the stretcher.

"OK, Danny, you win. Let's go home."

**Author's Note:**

> This was written embroiderama as part of the 2011 H50 Exchange. Embroiderama said I love to see the real affection between the characters, whether it's romance, friendship or family, and Injury-type hurt is lovely as well. I hope this fits the bill for her. Massive thanks to my lovely and ever so patient beta Alassenya.
> 
> Just posting it here now for reference.


End file.
